Ian Callum
Director for Design,Jaguar Cars
As we settled down to hear Ian Callum, the Director for Design at Jaguar Cars, I could sense the anticipation and thrill of the crowd. There were parents with their children who probably wanted to enter the car designing industry and were hoping to get some tips. There were people who just wanted to see the maker of XJ and hear him speak. The gentleman next to me looked in his 40's but he sat like a kid waiting for his hero to take the dais.I, as an animation student wanted to see the artist and how brilliantly he uses the digital technology to his own purpose. No one was disappointed.
What is Design?
He started his lecture with explaining,'what is design?' He said that it was immensely important to take some factors into consideration when they make a design. Maintaining the brand image,keeping the design cost effective,believing in their own vision,their creativity should be like story telling and collaboration are some of the basic tenets that he has been following through the years as a car designer.
Working his career through Ford,Volvo,Nissan,Aston Martin and now at Jaquar he enlightened us with his experience and delighted us with his sense of humour.
Digital Cave
He showed us how designs are first hand sketched and then digitally made. Then they are further modeled in clay and then perfected in aluminium to give their premium customers the delight and comfort of buying their concept cars.I was astounded to see the image of the Digital Cave where wearing 'some' glasses they could see and move digital image by their hands to change the design of the cars.
Iam Callum showing his Designs
As he took us through his journey of working at multiple Car Making Organisations he kept telling us what he learnt at each and I could not help but pen them down. He said that it was important to learn the culture and the background of a region before making a design. As an artist,he told us to be brave and say what we have to say when there is still time because after the final output is produced there is nothing left but regret. He adviced us to carry statistics and facts with us before telling our superior about 'being intuitive' about some design and to never over promise. Finally,he told us that being a good communicator is as important as being as artist.If one is not able to communicate what he wants to project in his art,he might not be able to execute as much.
Ian Callum explaining the Car-Designing Process and its Execution
He told us about steps that Jaquar was currently taking to make its cars as Eco-friendly as possible(which was one of my concerns). He showed statistics that about a reduction of 25% had been achieved in their CO2 Emission and about 17% in water usage.The designs of the cars that Jaquar intends to make in future were incredible. Ian Callum,by the looks of it, was not wrong in calling it our man-servant. From weather reporting,to making reservation at your favourite restaurant,to analysing your mood and even automatic driving,Jaquar is intend on making the next generation cars.
As,we were filing out at the end of the seminar,I saw a kid of 12 showing Callum his car design. It was humbling to watch him discuss the design with the kid and then give him his visiting card and shaking hands.He left us with a quote hanging on top of us on the big screen which shows his point of inspiration and for aspiring artists like me.
“Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.” -Albert Einstein
